FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Federal agents say drug traffickers and violent gangs are no longer just crossing the southern border — they're now arriving by sea in growing numbers.
The warning comes just days after four migrant boats were intercepted off the Florida coast over Labor Day weekend.
WATCH BELOW: Feds warn of growing drug, gang pipeline by sea
St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Kevin Bobbit told WPTV reporter Kate Hussey the busts signal a dangerous new wave of smuggling.
"It's a threat, it's a threat to our community," Del Toro said.
We asked him if more cases are expected.
"Absolutely," he added.
According to law enforcement, the operation began when investigators received credible intelligence on Aug. 29 that a group of men had rented an Airbnb in Fort Pierce and planned to travel to the Bahamas to retrieve narcotics and smuggle undocumented immigrants into the United States.
Authorities said by 5:30 a.m. the next day, two suspect vessels were spotted leaving the Fort Pierce Inlet.
Later that day, the DEA, St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, Port St. Lucie Police, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Florida Highway Patrol executed a coordinated interdiction.
Counter-surveillance teams were also observed patrolling North and South Beach near the inlet. Investigators said intelligence revealed a third vessel was involved, with all three returning from the Bahamas.
According to a press release from the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, the vessels — a 42-foot Contender, a 36-foot Grady White, and a 33- to 35-foot Intermarine — were intercepted as they approached the inlet. The Contender and Grady White complied, but the Intermarine attempted to flee before being disabled by CBP Air and Marine Operations.
Authorities say the operation led to the following:
- 30 Chinese nationals, including two children, were taken into custody
- 5 Bahamian men were arrested from the vessels
- 3 Bahamian men accused of counter-surveillance arrested on land
- About 370 pounds of cocaine were seized
All of the individuals were turned over to federal authorities. The Chinese nationals were transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard and are expected to be repatriated without entering the United States.
"We won't tolerate criminals using our shores as their pathway," Del Toro said. "Our county will not be a gateway for criminal enterprises. I’m proud of the teamwork and tenacity shown by all the local, state, and federal agencies involved."
Del Toro said embedding his detectives within federal task forces is "a true force multiplier," giving local agencies direct access to intelligence and resources to protect St. Lucie County.
International conspiracy investigation
The following day, DEA agents intercepted a fourth boat near Lantana carrying another 275 pounds of cocaine. Bobbit said all four vessels are linked to an international trafficking ring.
"This is part of a larger international conspiracy investigation that my office is running right now," Bobbit told Hussey in an exclusive interview.
He explained that smugglers are now flying into the Bahamas on commercial flights before paying up to $35,000 per person to be ferried into Florida by boat.
"It's obviously criminal organizations and in Southeast Asia and China that are bringing them," Bobbit said.
Both Del Toro and Bobbit said the trend is fueled by tightening land restrictions at the southern border.
"There's only three ways to smuggle: land, sea and air, and with land routes being more restrictive at this point, sea and air are the way to go," Bobbit said.
New Customs and Border Protection data WPTV obtained shows drug seizures on land at the southern border are decreasing, while maritime and air seizures are surging. Agents recorded just over 1,000 maritime and air seizures last year. By July of this year, that number had already topped 800 — nearly 80% of 2024's total.
"It is definitely going to increase. It's not going to slow down anytime soon. The profits are too high," Bobbit said.
Del Toro said his agency is adding more marine deputies to counter the rise.
"It's a threat to our community, it's a threat to our nation," he said.
Immigration experts warn the surge won’t be limited to criminal networks. Attorney Richard Hujber said a growing backlog in green cards, visas and asylum cases is forcing some to seek illegal routes.
"It’s certainly getting much, much more challenging and difficult," Hujber said. "It’s just flooded with cases. … They’re hiring judges now desperately because they have such a shortage of judges and a huge backlog of cases."